Mail-catching apparatus.



J. E. BARDRICK.

MAIL CATCHING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED APR- 20, 1915- E. 1 1 .,@Q% Patented May 2, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

' anma'mtoz Guam;

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAFH 60., WASHINGTON. D. c.

' 'J. E. BARDRICK.

MAIL CATCHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20. I9l5.

L fi I Patented M21312, 1916.

2 SHEETS--SHEET 2.

avweutoz car and 2 as an entirety a stationary sup- JOHN E. BARDRICK, 0F INDIANOLA, IOWA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

MAIL-CATCI-IING APPARATUS.

Patented May a, rare.

Application filed April 20, 1915. Serial No. 22,680.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, J OHN E. BARDRICK, citizen of the United States, residing at Indianola, in the county of Warren and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Catching Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved receiving apparatus for transferred mail and may be said to consist in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and particularly.

pointed out'in the appended claims.

In the drawings hereto annexed: Figure 1 is an elevation of the receiving platform equipped with opposed catching devices;

of the drawings I desire to call particular,

attention to the fact that while I have evolved my invention with reference to its use as a means for catching mail transferred from a fastmoving train to a receiving plat form, the equipment may be arranged, if desired, to reverse the operation, thereby affording a means to receive mail delivered vice versa. v

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 designates as an entirety a railway mail port positioned in adjacent proximity to the track upon which the mail car is op.- erated. The stationary support includes an upright or standard 3 of suitable size and design to effectually support in a horizontal plane a receiving platform 4. The said platform a is preferably equipped with opposed receiving devices and as said receiving devices are of a duplicate construction, a detail description of but one will ensue.

The receiving device in its preferred embodiment comprises an upright support member 5 bifurcated at its free end or as indicated at 6 to mount between the extensions thus formed a'weight arm 7, said arm 7 having pivotal connection as indicated at 8 to the support or upright 5, the pivot point being located adjacent one of the arm terminals whereby to cause said arln to fall by gravity and as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1 the moment it is released. The inner end of the arm 7 is notched as indicated at 10 to provide an extension which is adapted for complemental engagement with the notched terminal 9 of a trigger 11 pivoted as at 12 between the ext-err sions formed by the bifurcated terininal13 of an angular extension 14 integral with or afhxed to a support member 5 as indicated at 15 in the drawings.

Forwardly of the support member 5, and at each side of the receiving platform 2 at a point adjacent the respective longitudinal edges thereof, 1 mount a suitable bracket or hearing 16, preferably substantially L- shaped, the brackets together forming a suitable bearing support for a shaft 17.

Said shaft 17 is held against longitudinal displacement by means of cotter pins 18 eX- tending transversely therethrough, one pin being upon each side of the respective brackets aforesoid. Shaft 17 carries a forwardly curved or arcuate receiving frame or catcher 19, the same comprising a plurality of parallel uniformly spaced rods 20, each of which is inturned or extended at an. angle at its lowermost terminal to penetrate the shaft as indicated at 21, the fastening means utilized being shown at 22. To maintain the rods 20 in proper spaced relation and against displacement I provide a cross bar 23,the latter serving as an abutment member as will hereinafter appear. Said bar 23 is preferably positioned at a point intermediate .the terminals of the frame 19, while a connecting rod 2% connects the free terminals of the respective rods, said rod 24:

penetrating an enlargement or eye 25 formed upon each rod end. The brace or abutment rod 23 carries an abutment block 26 provided with a forward inclined face which,

in the normal upright position of the frame 19 is adapted for engagement with the blunt terminal of the trigger 11.

The actuating means for the frame 19 includes two or more spring elements 27, one of said spring elements being arranged adjacent each end of shaft 17. Each spring is coiled about the shaft as shown, one terminal of each spring being affixed to a member 28 carriedby the frame and the opposite terminal of each spring being affixed as at 29 to the receiving platform 2, such arrangement normally exerting forward pressure on the frame as a whole and maintaining "abutment block 26' in positive engagement gatedslot 29.

frame being curved forwardly as shown and being positioned to receive the mail bag, the impact occasioned during transfer being absorbed by the spring 27 and by reason of the yielding movement ofv the frame as a whole, releasing trigger 11 from engagement with the weight arm 7, thereby permitting the latter, by gravity, to fall from a horizontal position. The'trigger and weight arm bemg thus released, it is apparent that the springs 27 will move frame 19 forwardly or into the path of the circledescribed by the dotted lines in Fig. 1 until the free end of said arm engages'the platform 2, the delivere'd' mail bag or pouch being moved there with and held upon the top'surface of the platform until subsequently released.

' right member is positioned centrally of the frame to operate in the space between the intermediate or center rods 20 forming part thereof. The said upright, when the frame is set to receive delivered mail bag, passes throughthe frame, its free end being positioned forwardly of the frameas shown.

To accommodate the rod or arm 7 when released latform 21s I'OVldedWltl'l an elonwith the accompanying drawings it is evident-thatthe ma l'ma t'er'acted on will'be effectually; held '1 or fastened subsequent to delivery onto the platform 2; that the wear and tear incident to I transfer may be partially obviated by reason of the yielding contact surface provided; and that by curving the frame forwardly, thetendency of the mail bag to disengage the frame during its forward'movement, by reason of the cen- V Copies'of this patent may be obtained for From the foregoing, taken in connection trifugal thrust imparted thereto is completely off-set.

In reduction to practice, I have found that the form of my invention, illustrated in thedrawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most efiicient and practical; yet realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing anyof the advantages of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a mail receiving apparatus, a receiving platform, opposed receiving devices mounted, one at each end of said, platform, each device comprising a movable receiving arm, means urging said arm into engagement with the platform, a standard, a pivoted'trigger-engaging arm mounted upon said standard, and a pivoted trigger interposed between the receiving arm and the trigger engaging arm to maintain the former in a receiving position, substantially as described.

2. In a mail receiving apparatus, a receiving platform, a curved yieldable receiving frame mounted on the platform, spring means engaging the frame, a support member mounted on the platform, a trigger pivoted to the support, and a gravity arm pivoted to the supportin proximity to the trigger, the latter being adapted for arrangement between the frame and the arm to normally maintain said frame in a receiving position for the purpose set forth. v

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence'of two witnesses.

I JQHN E. BARDRICK. l'Vitnesses J. A. Bennnron, MARY E. BARDRIGK.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

